(Full List of Water System Cybersecurity Stories | Cybersecurity and Valley Water)
It has happened again. Another water utility has been hacked. A number of sources (CNBC, CBS, CNN) have reported that the nation’s largest water utility, American Water has been hacked. American Water manages more than 500 water and wastewater systems in about 1,700 communities across at least 14 states, including California.
American Water has announced it is back online. Further, American Water says it has no indication that its water and wastewater facilities were impacted by this incident. It also says that water quality was not affected.
The attack was first reported in an 8K filing with the SEC on October 3rd. American Water appeared to recover by October 10th, according to a statement released by the company.
The attack appeared to cause network outages, rendering both American Water’s billing portal, MyWater, and its internal phone network inoperative, according to cyberSecurity publication Dark Reading.
This is by no means the first attack on a water system this year. As has been written about on this site, there have been attacks in Texas, Hawaii, Kansas, and Pennsylvania. Moreover, there have been new cybersecurity guidelines issued for water systems by DHS, and more security called for by the EPA.
Valley Water needs a Director who understands the nature of the cybersecurity threat. Bill Roth is that candidate who brings years of experience in both technology and cybersecurity, and can ask the right questions to ensure our water systems remain safe.
For more information, check out Fast Facts about Bill Roth.
